Won't Let Go
by Elphaba713
Summary: When another terrorist manages to break into NCIS headquarters, he escapes leaving Gibbs with a choice: Stick to the rules of his job and the rules he's made for himself, or save Abby's life...
1. Chapter 1

Okay. New fic. I'm mainly posting this for two reasons: one, to see how I'm doing (meaning, review please!), and two, to give myself incentive to brainstorm and keep writing. So, reviews will give me that incentive to keep writing! Pairing is Abby/Gibbs, of course.

Chapter 1

Abby glanced at her watch as she hurried back into headquarters. Only a few minutes late back from her lunch break. If she hurried, and made it into her lab without anyone seeing her, no one would ever know. She could do that. She dashed to the elevator, pressed the button, and hurried in as soon as the doors opened. Press the button, watch the doors close, and… this was a really slow elevator.

Okay. A minute's worth of standing there and she was bored. She dug through her purse to give herself something to do, locating a blue bouncy ball. "What's this doing in here?" she wondered out loud. Figuring that it was at least something to play with, the slung her purse back over her shoulder and dropped the bouncy ball on the ground, catching it as it bounced back up. She repeated this process a few times before actually tossing it down, not really expecting the results.

The blue sphere bounced easily from the hard floor of the elevator all the way up to the ceiling, ricocheting off onto the wall before Abby could stop it. She hurried to try and catch it, but it seemed as though the little ball had a mind of its own, trying to get away from her. She found herself chasing it around the large elevator, unable to help but giggling at the pure humor of the situation. Maybe the bouncy ball wasn't such a good idea.

The elevator doors opened as the bouncy ball hit the back wall and bounced straight out, quite surprising a waiting Gibbs as it bopped him on the head.

"Oh, God, Gibbs, I'm sorry! Wow, I'm sorry. I didn't… the thing… bounced, and… it sorta went everywhere, and… then the doors opened, and you were there, and… yeah, you were there."

He chuckled slightly. "Yes, Abby, I was here. And this…" he held up the bouncy ball, "apparently was too."

Abby grinned shyly. "Yeah. Apparently." She stepped out of the elevator, not wanting to get stuck in it again if and when the doors closed. Gibbs watched her, trying to hide his amusement.

Abby suddenly remembered she was late. There went her 'no one seeing me' plan. And now bouncy ball would be confiscated, though she could always get another, and… not the point right then. "Well, um…sorry, again… I should get to my lab, huh?"

Gibbs smiled slightly. "Might be a wise idea."

Abby nodded. "Yeah. So… see ya!" She darted off down the hall before she could do anything else stupid or embarrassing or in the get-Abby-in-trouble category. Halfway down the hall, she heard Gibbs call out "Hey Abbs!" She half-skidded to a stop and turned around, half expecting to be able to be told off for her lateness or for goofing off.

"You forgot your bouncy ball," he informed her, tossing it to her as he stepped backwards into the elevator. Startled, she almost missed catching it. By the time she looked back up, the elevator doors had already closed. She stared after him for a moment before grinning, putting the bouncy ball back into her purse, and heading off towards her lab, a good deal more cheerful than she had been.

The first thing she did upon entering the lab was to turn on the music – Lacuna Coil, a band she had recently discovered that she quite liked. Next the computer was started up fully, her starscape screensaver disappearing to a list of all the programs she had left open while she was gone. She sat down in her computer chair, humming along with the music while she tried to think of something to do. They didn't have a case, for once; nothing top priority to work on. It was a Gallipoli day, but her model was done and gone, sitting at home on a shelf with many other 'art projects' of hers.

After a moment, Abby dug through one of the desk drawers; one she aptly called her fidget drawer. It was filled with fidgety things: Silly Putty®, clicky pens, a spinning top, a metal puzzle thing that could be manipulated into many different shapes, one of those gel-filled stress balls, her first attempts at the people for Gallipoli… all sorts of things with which she could amuse herself. She pulled out one of the Silly Putty® eggs, bumped the drawer closed, and began playing with the Silly Putty®, stretching and squishing and making little people while she let her mind wander.

Gibbs hadn't yelled at her. That was good. Then again, he almost never yelled at her… even when she showed up late and hit him on the head with a bouncy ball. That was actually kinda funny, she thought, allowing herself a laugh at that. Store that in the 'amusing memories' file in her mental cabinet. She needed to sort through that; it was getting rather full. And kinda messy.

Gibbs was always so nice to her. He wasn't mean, really, to anyone, but she couldn't think of a time where she could ever say he had been at all mean to her. Gotten ticked off at times, raised his voice once or twice, but never been mean, never gotten really angry. She was glad for that; she didn't know what she'd do if he ever got really mad at her. She didn't think she could take it. Not just because she hated when people were mad at her, either.

Okay, maybe that was part of it, but it wasn't all of it. She just felt like Gibbs was different, like it would really break her up somehow. She cared about him too much to let him be mad at her.

Woah, where'd that come from? Yeah, she cared about him, true, but… she didn't… or did she? There's a new thing, but maybe it's not, because somehow she didn't feel too terribly surprised. Maybe she did. Maybe she did actually love him. Maybe? Hell with maybe. She knew she did. "Oh," she muttered to herself, then suddenly "Oh! Oh, wow. Duh, Abby! And people say you're all smart and stuff and you just now figure that out?" Now she had a bit of a conundrum, though… "What do I do about it?"

Putting the Silly Putty® back in the drawer, she stood and began pacing the lab, muttering to herself. "It's not like I can just tell him that. That'd be majorly awkward. And kinda hinky! Weird thing to suddenly discover." She sighed. The chances Gibbs would feel the same way? "Keep dreaming, Abby," she muttered dejectedly, leaning forward against a table, hands holding onto the edge of it to keep her weight even.

She was so lost in thought that she never noticed the presence approaching behind her, never heard the footsteps, never suspected a thing until strong arms closed around her like a vise, drawing a frightened scream from her a second before a hand clamped over her mouth and a deep, unfamiliar voice whispered in her ear "Well, hello there, sweetheart."


	2. Chapter 2

Okay, chapter two! Yay! I got this one out pretty quick… can't promise that for all of them, though, 'cause the chapters I already have written I have to type up, and then I have to finish writing the rest of it. But I have a plan, so I may actually finish this one! Thanks to everyone who reviewed, and keep it up; convince me that I should continue before I loose the urge to write!

Chapter 2

Abby struggled against the arms that held her, but the grip was too tight for her to break. "Calm down, now, you're just going to make this harder," the man told her, tightening his grip around her ribs until she whimpered in pain and calmed a bit, still tense but not struggling quite as hard. "There now, good girl. See, it's easier when you cooperate. Now, you've screamed once, so I'm sure help's coming, good for you. So there's no reason to scream again; I'm sure we both agree on that?" Not sure what would happen if she disagreed, Abby nodded slightly. "Okay, then." The hand fell away from her mouth, but the man's other arm still held her tightly, preventing her escape.

A sudden prick on her arm caused Abby to yelp slightly, twisting enough to see that the man holding her had jabbed a needle into her upper right arm, injecting her with something. She started to struggle again, but he only tightened his grip, cautioning her "Now, now, don't want to break the needle, do we?" Before she could do anything, he removed the needle, pocketed the syringe, and wrapped his free arm around her waist.

"I hope you'll excuse my frightening you, sweetheart, and again for not releasing you just yet. I believe it will be to my advantage to keep you close for a while is all, it's nothing personal."

Gibbs chose that moment to rush into the lab, gun drawn. "Abby!" He was quick to assess the situation, aiming the gun towards the man even though it was obvious that he wouldn't be able to shoot; this guy was using Abby as an effective shield. "Let her go!"

Abby noted that the man's whole demeanor seemed to change instantly, from the almost polite way he had spoken to her, as though she were a small child, to a cocky, overbearing attitude towards Gibbs. "Oh, demanding, aren't we?" He tightened his grip again, making her wince; Gibbs took a step closer, searching for an opening to get at the guy. "But she's such a pretty little thing." He held her close, not allowing Gibbs the opening he was looking for.

"If you hurt her, I'll…" Gibbs started, but the man cut him off.

"Oh, I'm afraid you're a little late. She's not injured, no, but I think you'll find my way just as effective, if not more so."

"What do you mean?" Gibbs asked, glaring. The man fixed him with a piercing stare, his eyes so dark they seemed almost black.

"It's an interesting story, really, but for the sake of time – as I'm afraid there's a surprisingly small amount of it – I'll just give you the short version. I'm a scientist of sorts. A doctor, if you will. I don't cure illnesses, no… I invent them. Much more fun, much more of a challenge. And this dear little thing," he rested his chin on top of Abby's head, making her squirm a bit, "has just become my first human test subject." Leaving Gibbs to think about that, he directed his next words towards Abby. "I'm sorry about this, sweetheart, I really am. But all in all, I think you can feel honoured to be a part of such an experiment."

"What did you do to her?" Gibbs demanded angrily, seeing slight fear in Abby's eyes.

The man sighed, seeming put off by Gibbs slowness to understand his clues. "I created a biological weapon, and Abby – I assume, by the way, that Abigail is the full name? Only fitting that such a pretty girl has an equally pretty name – is now the person I'm testing it on."

Abby's eyes widened in fear; Gibbs stared at the man in shock and disbelief, anger shining in his eyes. Seemingly oblivious to this, the man continued, infuriatingly calm. It's actually rather benign. I could have made worse ones, of course, but for my first I decided to keep it simple. Fever, breathing trouble, pulse changes, a few little painful surprises… and there I must apologize to you, sweetheart, but it can't be helped now." He looked at Gibbs, smiling slightly; an unpleasant, sly sort of smile. "But it's not contagious, so only dear Abigail here has to suffer. Oh, and before you start doubting that I'm telling the truth, just wait a few hours. You can expect a headache, fever, chills, feeling lightheaded; symptoms that increasingly get worse. It's the fever that kills, mainly, although I expect the pulse changes could be too much for one." He shrugged slightly. "Abigail seems a strong one, though. And you do have a doctor here… Abigail, sweetheart, it you will assist me, I simply cannot remember the dear doctor's name."

"Ducky," she answered automatically, still trying to process everything the man was saying. She could see Gibbs looking for a way to get to the man, but he had her in a pretty tight situation and all three of them knew it.

"Ah, yes, Ducky. Of course. But he is a pathologist, of course, not really the same type of doctor as may be useful here, but he still may be able to make you more comfortable; make things easier for you, and that certainly is a good thing." He looked over at Gibbs. "But, certainly you won't want her to die, and I'm afraid there's nothing dear doctor Ducky can do about that. Which is where I come in… again." Gibbs started to say something, but the man cut him off. "This would be a good time to listen, as I'm only saying this once and it is a matter of life and death…" he smiled cruelly down at Abby, "Hers. So for her sake, just stay quiet. I made this weapon, and I know it would have been very unwise of me not to make an antidote. Must be prepared for any accidents. So, naturally, I made one, and, as you would expect, I have it. Not with me, now, I know better, and besides, you will want some proof that I'm telling you the truth. You let me walk out of here, and in twenty-four hours I will contact you. I'm certain that we can arrange something."

"What do you want?" Gibbs asked suspiciously, watching as Abby made another unsuccessful attempt to pull away.

"Well, as I'm certain you can guess, manufacturing biological weapons is not exactly cheap… that's all I'm going to say now. We'll talk again in twenty-four hours. Oh, and so you know… the final deadline, for you to consider, is seventy-two hours. If you don't administer the antidote by that time, I'm afraid it will be too late to save her." He looked down at Abby, something vaguely resembling sympathy in his expression. "Again, sweetheart, I am sorry about this… but it is science, you know. And maybe your friends will save you. I can only hope; it would be quite sad for the world to loose someone so pretty." This said, he shoved Abby forwards towards Gibbs. She yelped in surprise, not expecting it, and Gibbs moved quickly to catch her. By the time he looked back up, the man was gone.


	3. Chapter 3

Okay, here's chapter three! I'm so sorry it took so long. I've had it written for a long time, but I wrote it on paper, in school. So I kept thinking I needed to type it up, but I get a time limit on my computer time, and by the time I'd get online I'd forgotten about it, until I got off and remembered, Dang it, I was supposed to type that up! So now I've finally gotten around to it. Hope it's worth the wait.

Gibbs took a quick glance around the lab to make sure the man was gone before turning his attention to the woman in his arms. "Abby, are you okay? What'd he do? Did he hurt you?"

"No, I… he just… stuck me with a needle…" she glanced at the tiny red spot on her arm. "Which kinda hurt, but I'm okay."

"He did stick you? Was it like a shot of something?" Gibbs asked, concerned. His worry grew when she nodded. "Okay. Alright then… Ducky. I should get Ducky," he decided after a moment. There was a chance that the guy - terrorist, now, if he was making biological weapons - was telling the truth. But there was always the chance that he wasn't, too, right? No reason to panic yet… but it certainly wouldn't hurt to get Ducky's opinion.

Abby looked up at him, fear suppressed but still noticeable in her eyes. "Would you?"

Gibbs nodded slightly, hugging her a bit awkwardly in an attempt to comfort her. "Sure. Of course. Will you be okay here for a few minutes?" Abby nodded and Gibbs reluctantly released her, promising "I'll be right back" as he turned and left the lab.

Abby stood in the middle of the lab for a moment before taking a step back to lean against the table. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, trying to compose herself. She was scared, she'd admit it; she hadn't liked the description the guy had given. She thought it was likely he had told the truth, too; he'd seemed so sure of himself, so confident that by the twenty-four hour mark Gibbs would be willing to meet whatever demands he had. Abby didn't like that; she didn't want to be a liability, didn't want Gibbs doing something he didn't want to in order to save her. But, then, she didn't want to die, either. She had always hated being sick, and now…

Okay, calm down, she told herself. Everyone else would probably be worried enough. There wasn't anything she could do about it now, anyways, and worrying would just… well, worry her, and that wouldn't be good. Who could think straight when they were freaking out? No one she knew. So she'd make herself stay calm, so she could think logically. Nothing good came from panicking like that. So she'd stay calm, and try to keep the others calm, too. Or, at least, she'd do her best.

A moment later, Kate and Tony hurried into the lab, both looking confused and worried. "Abby! Are you alright? What happened; Gibbs told us to come here and he seemed all worried," Kate blurted, moving to her friend's side.

"And you know how rare that is," Tony pointed out, making Abby smile slightly.

Calm, she reminded herself, answering "I'm okay, guys." She paused for a moment, trying to think of how to explain the situation without freaking them both out. She was saved from having to do so by Ducky coming into the lab, followed by Gibbs. Ducky wasted little time in hurrying to Abby's side, wrapping his arms around her in a light but comforting hug.

"Are you alright, my dear? Here, now, let me see your arm…" While he examined the small red spot left by the needle, Gibbs explained the situation to Kate and Tony. Abby heard Kate gasp as Gibbs repeated the man's claim.

"Oh, God, Abby!" Kate was instantly back at her side, a hand on her shoulder. "Oh, God. What did this guy want? We have to get that antidote."

"Money, I'm assuming," Tony guessed. "We'll find some way to get the stuff from him and get this jerk behind bars where he belongs."

"How much money? We'll get it somehow," Kate commented worriedly, never taking her eyes off Abby.

"Okay, aren't we reacting rather fast here? Not that I don't appreciate it, but…" Abby shrugged. "There's no assurance the guy was telling the truth, right? I mean, what if he was lying?"

"But Abby, maybe he wasn't. We have to consider that possibility and be ready for it," Gibbs told her.

Abby nodded. "Yeah, okay, I get that. But I feel fine right now. And, heh, even if he wasn't lying… we've got Ducky! He can fix anything." She smiled at the man standing beside her, and he gave her a small smile in return.

"I'm afraid that's not completely true, but that you for the vote of confidence, my dear." He wrapped an arm lightly around her shoulders.

Gibbs took a deep breath. "Abby's right. There's no reason to panic. Right now, our priority is to find out who this guy is, how he got in, and where we can find him."

Abby nodded. "See, now, that's sensical."

"Senseical? Is that a word?" Tony asked, looking a bit confused.

"It is now," Abby claimed. "But that's not the point. I don't know about you guys, but I don't feel like standing around worrying. I'm gonna do something productive." This said, she moved over to her computer to find some work to do.

Kate watched Abby for a moment before glancing at the other three people in the lab. Tony was making an attempt at his signature grin, but not quite succeeding, worry obvious in his eyes. Ducky looked thoughtful, probably thinking of what would need to be done if the terrorist hadn't been lying. Gibbs, though, she couldn't read; he was staring at Abby, such a mixture of emotions in his expression that she couldn't begin to guess at what he was thinking. One thing was certain: he was worried. They all were. Kate sighed slightly… she could only pray that Abby was right; pray that the terrorist had been lying. But somehow, even as she thought that, some part of her knew he hadn't been, and she couldn't make that feeling go away.


	4. Chapter 4

Okay. To make up for how slow I was on the last chapter, I put a rush on this one... well, a rush comparatively to my normal posting speed. So, here it is. Oh, by the way... was anyone else a little freaked out by the previews for this Tuesday's episode? Abby going undercover to catch a serial killer/rapist... and then, was I imagining it, or did Gibbs sound scared when he said 'Get Abby back here'? I though he sounded scared, but that never happens, so I can'tbe sure what he sounds like when he's scared. Yeah, I'm a little worried... but, maybe some good GAbby scenes could come from this episode. I'll definitely be watching it. Anyways, on with the story!

Chapter Four

"Jethro, do stop pacing," Ducky requested, leaning back against a table as he watched him. "You're making me nervous, and I doubt Abby finds it easy to concentrate with you walking back and forth."

"Sorry, Duck," Gibbs replied, halting his pacing to stand again behind Abby's computer chair. He was getting nervous as well, honestly; it had been nearly two hours of waiting for something to happen. So far, Abby seemed fine…Gibbs knew, though, that that could well change quite suddenly.

Though it had taken her a while, Abby had convinced Kate and Tony to leave her lab, claiming that she couldn't think when there were so many people hovering over her. They were now examining the tapes from the security cameras, trying to figure out how the terrorist had gotten into headquarters, as well as to get a good screen capture of him.

Abby had attempted to get Gibbs and Ducky to leave as well, but they had both refused. Gibbs wanted to keep an eye on her, to make sure he knew what was going on; Ducky thought it best he stay near her 'in case he was needed'. Abby had actually given up on trying to talk them into leaving rather quickly. Honestly, she felt a bit better, having them there.

She had spent the past two hours experimenting and running tests on just about anything she could find to experiment and/or run tests on. Anything to keep her mind busy. She had even debated running various types of blood tests and such on herself, except that she didn't want to be stuck with another needle. One was more than enough for a day.

She now sat at her computer, diverting herself by messing with the car crash simulator, creating various wrecks and hit-and-run scenarios, seeing what was possible, what wasn't… and what wasn't possible, but she managed to create anyway through a little manipulation. Gibbs watched over her shoulder, amused at the odd ways she managed to tweak situations, making them work the way she wanted them to.

After a moment, Abby leaned back in her chair, closing her eyes and resting her head in her hands. Gibbs was immediately concerned, placing a hand lightly on her shoulder as he asked "Abby? Are you okay?"

She nodded slightly, smiling at him. "Yeah. I just have a headache… probably been staring at the computer screen for just a little too long."

Gibbs though for a moment. Had headache been one of the symptoms the terrorist had mentioned? Yeah, he was pretty sure it was. "Are you dizzy?"

"No."

"Feeling lightheaded?"

"Aren't they sorta the same thing?"

Gibbs reached around her to place a hand on her forehead. She felt a little warm…he could be imagining it, he told himself. Maybe she was right; maybe she had just been sitting in front of the computer for too long. While half of his mind though that, the other half was already considering what had to be done if it wasn't just that. "You still have that futon in here, Abbs?"

"Yeah," she answered, looking a bit confused. "Why?"

Gibbs glanced over at Ducky, slightly pleased to see that he had already moved to set up said futon. Gibbs knew that they'd need somewhere comfortable for Abby to lay; somewhere that they could keep an eye on her. He was sure Ducky didn't like the idea of laying her on an autopsy table any more than he did.

He turned his attention back to Abby, who was tapping her fingers idly on the desk, pretending to pay attention to her computer while really trying not to worry. Sure, working at her computer for a couple hours had never given her a headache before, but there's a first time for everything, right? Okay, well, maybe not _everything_, as some things are impossible, but all possible things could potentially happen, however low the chances might be, so…

"Abby?" Gibbs' voice broke into her thoughts. She looked over at him as he continued. "Maybe you should do something else for a while."

"Oh. Yeah. Sure, okay," she agreed, standing. Maybe she could fiddle around with a microscope or something. She took a few steps before the room suddenly seemed to start spinning; she stumbled, and Gibbs was instantly at her side, putting an arm around her waist to steady her. "Okay, woah, dizzy now," she said softly, leaning against him slightly.

"Gibbs held her for a moment, concern flooding through him. His mind seemed to start working again a minute later, and he gently directed Abby towards the futon, keeping a steadying arm around her. "Okay, Abby. Come on, let's get you over here and you can lie down."

Abby nodded slightly, leaning against him as they walked. She was immensely grateful for his supporting arm around her; she was pretty sure that walking on her own would have meant bumping into tables or something equally unpleasant. Even after he gently lowered her onto the futon, she had to sit for a moment, trying to convince the world to stop spinning, or at least to slow down a bit.

Gibbs watched as Ducky felt Abby's forehead, checking for a fever, and then took her wrist to check her pulse. After a moment, he carefully directed her to lie down on the futon. "How is she?" Gibbs asked quietly, keeping his worried gaze on Abby.

"She does seem to have a slight fever, but her pulse is normal and she seems to be breathing regularly. Nothing to worry about yet." Gibbs didn't like the 'yet,' seeming to claim that there would eventually be something to worry about. "But it is a wise idea to keep her here, not up and around much if at all, and to keep her comfortable."

Gibbs nodded, moving to sit down on the floor beside the futon. Abby smiled at him, and he managed a small, worried smile in return. He had a feeling these next few hours would be rather long. He could only hope that the terrorist had exaggerated his own skill; hope that Abby wouldn't get much worse… hope that the 'yet' never became 'now.'


	5. Chapter 5

Okay, finally! Chapter five lives! …As much as a story chapter can live… Whatever. But, anyways. I really am sorry that this took so long. I don't know if anyone even still reads it. So, hey, prove to me people do… I'll be a lot more willing to keep writing if I know people are still reading it. In a word, REVIEW! Let me know there's a reason to keep writing, and I shall oblige.

Chapter Five

The sound of coughing pulled Gibbs out of his doze in Abby's chair. Mentally berating himself for falling asleep, he scrambled to his feet. Ducky was already kneeling beside Abby, who had moments ago also been sleeping, but now was quite awake, pushing herself into a sitting position and trying to catch her breath. Gibbs hurried over.

"I'm okay," she managed after a moment, drawing in a deep breath and letting it out in a sigh. Ducky kept a supporting hand on her back, while taking a gentle hold of her wrist to check her pulse, then moved up to brush across her forehead. Gibbs kept a careful eye on his face, trying to judge his expression. What he saw didn't make him feel much better. Sliding his arm around Abby as Ducky moved away, Gibbs carefully lowered her back onto the futon.

"You alright, Abbs?" he asked softly. She smiled and nodded.

"I'm fine. Coughing isn't gonna kill me." Gibbs couldn't help but wince at her choice of words, and that didn't escape her notice. "Seriously, I'm okay." She glanced around. "What time is it?"

"1832," Gibbs replied automatically with a glance at his watch.

"6:32?" Abby translated. "I was out that long?" She sat up rather quickly and tried to stand, but Gibbs pulled her back down.

"Where do you think you're going, Abby?"

"I just slept for a good two and a half hours, Gibbs! I have work to do, and…"

"No, you don't Abby," he cut in. "The work can wait. You need to stay here and rest."

"I just took a long nap, what more rest do I need?" The look Gibbs gave her stopped her from arguing anymore. She sighed heavily. "Well, am I at least allowed to get up and go to the bathroom?"

"That can be allowed." Standing, Gibbs pulled Abby up with him. "You need help?" Abby smiled at him.

"I think I can find it on my own, Gibbs." At his look, she rolled her eyes. "I'll be fine, Gibbs. If I'm not back in ten minutes, then you have my permission to come looking for me if you really feel you need to." She headed out of the lab, though Gibbs did note that she kept a hand either on a table or the wall, he assumed for balance.

As soon as the doors closed behind her, Gibbs turned to face Ducky. "What's up, Duck?"

Ducky sighed slightly. "Fever's gone up, pulse is a bit uneven, and I think we need to watch that cough." He shook his head. "All together, it does appear to be following the descriptions we were given." Glancing over at the door, he noted, "At least she doesn't appear to be as dizzy as she was earlier." Catching Gibbs' glance, he added, "Always good to look on the bright side."

Gibbs paced back and forth for a moment, thinking. Finally, he looked back up at Ducky. "Should we get her to the hospital, Ducky?"

The doctor shook his head. "Jethro, if what we were told is correct, there is nothing they could do for her."

"But what if…"

Ducky continued as if Gibbs hadn't said anything. "And, also, Abigail would not consent to it. She hates hospitals, Gibbs. I'd almost go as far as to say that she is quite frightened of them. She would not willingly go, and I don't think it would do any good to fource her, because again, there is nothing they could do." He looked at Gibbs. "They would likely listen to our story, quarantine her on the chance it may actually be contagious, make her as comfortable as they could, and wait for her to die." He shook his head again. "We would not be able to see her, Gibbs, and we couldn't do anything. Even if we brought the antidote to them, they wouldn't allow us to get to her, and might not administer it if we gave it to them. I don't know about you, but I'd rather have her here. And I'm certain that this is where she would rather be."

Gibbs sighed. "Is there anything we can do here that they can't there, Duck?"

Ducky nodded. "Many things, Jethro. We can keep an eye on her. We can keep her comfortable. We can talk to her and keep her calm." He looked Gibbs in the eye. "We can approach the situation with her life in mind, not her death. And when we get a hold of the cure, we can be certain to be able to administer it."

"Is there anything we can do for her medically?"

Ducky was silent for a long moment. "Yes, Jethro. We can pray." Gibbs sighed and went back to pacing. And when Abby came back in, stumbling slightly and looking a bit paler than usual, he couldn't help but think, as he helped her over to the futon, that the ability to pray didn't feel like it was enough. Not enough at all.


	6. Chapter 6

Wow, this one came fast, for me. Guess I'm trying to make up for being gone for so long. And, I actually have vaguely solid plans for the entire rest of the story! Yay! I might actually finish this one! That'd be a first. But, I have one request. If you read… review. Please? Good or bad, just tell me how I'm doing. I'll even take suggestions if anyone has anything they want to see happen or whatever! 'Cause I like ideas. You know, I could do that whole 'I won't post until I get this many reviews' thing, but I don't want to, 'cause I don't want to stop writing merely on the lack of reviews… so keep 'em coming! Thanks!

Chapter Six

Abby lay on her back, gazing up at the ceiling. She was bored. She'd been lying unable to go back to sleep for over an hour now, if not more, and had been reduced to counting the dots on the ceiling panels. She wasn't sure she could stand the excitement.

Rolling over, she watched Gibbs. He sat in her computer chair, head drooped forward, dozing. She thought she was bored? Must be worse for him; at least she was in her own lab. But he hadn't left since the whole chain of events had happened, a good - she propped herself up on one elbow to look at the clock - seven and a half hours ago. She'd even talked Ducky into going back to autopsy about forty-five minutes ago, on the promise that he'd be called if _anything_ happened, but no amount of reassurances could make Gibbs leave. Which, whatever she might claim, she actually found rather comforting.

But now it was getting late, and she couldn't leave him snoozing in her chair. She knew better than to think she might be getting home that night, but she had a futon, so it was no big deal. But she knew from experience that that chair was no place to spend a night.

Yet, Abby didn't really want to wake him up. She kind of liked watching him sleep. And it really did make her feel better to have him so close by. She knew she was safe when he was there. _Hey, if anyone else tries to break in here, they'll be dead before they take two steps._ Not that someone sneaking in was what she had to worry about, but still. Sighing, she lay back down again, but soon was trying to prop herself up, coughing violently.

There were suddenly gentle arms around her, pulling her up, holding her steady. "It's okay, Abbs, I've got you." Gibbs held her until she managed to stifle the coughing, then let her lean against him and catch her breath. That was easier said then done… of course, the fact that she had her head resting on his chest and his arms wrapped around her had nothing to do with that. "Just take deep breaths, Abbs. You'll be okay." He held on to her a minute longer before laying her carefully back on the futon. "I'm gonna go get Ducky."

"No…" she said breathlessly. "No, Gibbs, I'm okay… No need to get Ducky."

"Abby…" he started, giving her a look, but she didn't let him keep going.

"Really, Gibbs, what could he do? I have a cough. Even if it's just a cold, coughs aren't too fixable." He looked at her for a minute, and then relented, leaning back on his elbows beside her.

Abby looked at him for a minute. "You know it's getting late."

"I know."

"Like, it's time for normal people to be considering sleep."

"Yep."

"Sleep normally takes place in, oh, a bed, or on a mattress, or something of that sort."

Gibbs glanced over at her. "If you're trying to talk me into taking you home…"

She shook her head. "No! I'm trying to point out that _you_ should go home."

"Not happening, Abbs."

"You can't spend the night on the floor, Gibbs. Or on the chair. Or in the lab in general! You need to sleep somewhere… comfy."

He lay back, hands behind his head. "Comfortable enough for me."

"Gibbs…" Now it was her turn to give him a look.

"I'm not leaving, Abby."

"You aren't sleeping on the lab floor, either!"

He rolled over on his side and propped himself up on his elbow to look at her. "I've slept in worse places."

"That's not the point!" She glared at him. "I'll stay up all night if you stay in here. I'm not going to sleep 'till you're asleep."

He grinned slightly, laying back down. "That won't be long then."

"Gibbs! Go home!"

He shook his head, and she glared at him. This man was stubborn! There had to be some way to get him to go home. It didn't take her too long to strike on an idea.

"Okay, whatever, then." She sat up and looked at him. "We'll compromise. I've been sleeping half the day, so I'll work, and you sleep on the futon."

"No, Abby."

She ignored him and pulled herself to her feet with the help of a nearby table. "It's the perfect plan. You don't have to go home, and I can get my work done."

"Abby, lay back down. Now."

"No. If you're gonna sleep in my lab, you're sleeping somewhere comfy."

He sighed and sat up. "You're not letting up on this, are you?"

She shook her head, grinning. "I'll do cartwheels around the lab if it'll get you to go home."

"Now that you are flatly not allowed to do. I'm going." He stood up. "Now lay back down."

She obeyed, smiling up at him. "Good, 'cause I think I would've run into a table if I'd tried that."

He smiled back at her. "I'll be in first thing in the morning."

"Okay."

"Goodnight, Abbs."

"Goodnight." She watched him walk out, ignoring the urge to call him back - he needed to go home. She was a bit surprised she'd actually managed to convince him, though. _Oh, well._ She took the hair ties out of her hair and removed the various pieces of jewelry she figured she'd better not sleep in and settled down on the futon. At least he'd be back in the morning.

Fast asleep, she didn't hear the doors open about ten minutes later as Gibbs came back in, smiling slightly as he returned to his spot on the floor beside the futon. She might be mad at him in the morning for tricking her, but he wasn't about to leave her alone, and it had been the only way to get her to sleep. He turned around to dig a light blanket out of the drawer he knew she kept them in and spread it over her carefully, pulling out a second one for himself and lying down beside her. Of all the places he could spend that night, there was nowhere else he'd rather be.


	7. Chapter 7

Hey everyone! Sorry this one took so long to get out. I suffered a minor case of writer's block near the end and it sat dormant for a little while, but I got over that with a little help from my muse. Thanks, Liz! You rock. So, anyways, please review, and maybe I won't have writer's block on the next chapter. Just a little encouragement goes a long way for us feedback junkies!

Chapter Seven

Gibbs walked slowly into autopsy. The lights were dim; Ducky wasn't there. The room was empty, except for the still form lying on one table. He approached the table with a growing sense of dread, somehow already knowing what he would find, but the knowing didn't lessen the shock of it. "No…" The word was barely a whisper. He darted to the table, grabbing her hand, stroking her hair, pleading with her to wake up and knowing she couldn't hear him. "No…" he said again, and then the pain in his chest burst out in an anguished yell. "Abby!"

Gibbs sat up with a jolt, her name still on his lips. Shaking and disoriented from the nightmare, he looked around the darkened lab until his gaze fell on the girl lying beside him. Relief flooded him at the sight of her asleep on her futon, but began to fade to concern as he realized that his shout hadn't even caused her to stir.

"Abby?" he asked softly, reaching over to touch her arm. When she didn't respond, he moved his hand up to her forehead, concern growing rapidly at the heat of her skin. He checked her pulse; it was faster than it should be, and weaker. He shook her gently. "Abby. Wake up." Getting no response, he shook her harder. "Abby!" She stirred slightly, but that was it.

He clambered to his feet, located the phone, and headed for it. Ducky was on speed dial, and he was grateful for that. Eight rings later he figured the doctor must be sleeping; he knew Ducky wouldn't have left in such a situation. He hung up the phone. He'd have to go get him. But that meant leaving Abby. "Damn." He headed for the door, but a soft sound stopped him. He turned to see Abby pushing herself up and looking around, appearing a bit dazed. He took a step towards her. "Abby?"

She looked over at him. "Gibbs?" Her voice was faint, but sounded loud in the silent lab. "What are you doing here?" Gibbs opened his mouth to explain that he'd never left, but she cut him off, glancing over at the window. "It's really late. Did you find something new for the case? Need me to process something?"

He shook his head, giving her a worried look. "No, Abbs. There's not a case right now, remember?"

She raised an eyebrow. "There's always a case, Gibbs. I don't pull overnighters for no reason. And you don't randomly walk into my lab in the middle of the night."

He tried to think of how to respond to that. She obviously didn't remember what was going on… he didn't know if he should try to explain it or not. She was feverish and confused, and honestly, knowing what was going on wouldn't really help at that moment.

"So what do you need me to do, Gibbs?" She grabbed the edge of a table and tried to stand, but her legs wouldn't hold her and she fell back onto the futon.

"Abby!" Gibbs was by her side in an instant.

"Woah. Who spiked the Caff-Pow?" she muttered, putting a hand to her head.

"Just lie still, Abbs." He brushed a few stray strands of hair out of her face and moved to stand, but she caught his hand lightly.

"Don't leave…" she pleaded faintly, sounding a bit frightened. She wasn't sure what was going on, but she knew she didn't feel well. He hesitated. He needed to get Ducky, but he didn't like the idea of leaving her alone, when she was so weak and scared. But if he couldn't reach Ducky on the phone… well, there was always a way to compromise.

"Hey!" Abby protested as Gibbs scooped her up into his arms. "I didn't mean carry me around with you!"

"I'm gonna go get Ducky. You can come with me, or you can stay here, but I have to go down to autopsy either way."

She thought about it for a second. "Well, why do you have to carry me? Can't I just walk?"

"Okay." He set her on her feet and released her, but only for a second, catching her before she could collapse and picking her up once again. "That, Abby, is why I am carrying you."

She started to protest before apparently deciding against it, sighing slightly and leaning her head lightly against his shoulder as he headed out of the lab and, after a moment's debate, for the stairs. It'd be easier not to have to worry about button-pressing. He took the stairs as quickly as he could without jarring the woman in his arms, who was half-asleep, curled up against him.

As he had guessed, Ducky hadn't left; he was asleep in his chair. Gibbs stood uncertainly for a minute; he needed to wake Ducky, but he _really_ did not want to lay Abby on one of those metal tables. Abby solved the problem with a cough; a slight sound, but enough to wake the dozing doctor. Ducky looked up, took in the scene before him, and stood. "What's wrong, Jethro?"

Gibbs glanced down at the girl in his arms. "Her fever's gone up, her pulse is too fast, she's pretty disoriented, and she's too weak to stand." He looked back up at Ducky. "And she didn't want to be alone."

"Oh, dear," Ducky sighed, but he didn't look surprised. He indicated the autopsy table. "Well, put her down, I'll do what I can."

Gibbs glanced at the metal table, instinctively holding Abby a bit closer. "Um… no." At Ducky's questioning look, he explained "Not on the autopsy table, Duck."

"Ah." Ducky nodded. "Of course. Well, then, I guess we should take her back to her lab."

This agreed with Gibbs' line of thinking a lot more than the alternative. With Ducky following behind him, he headed for the stairs once more.


	8. Chapter 8

Okay, got two things to apologize for. First, that this took a while to be posted. Believe it or not, I actually got sick, and I just couldn't concentrate to write. And if that's not odd enough, I got sick 'cause I got a shot - vaccination - and had a reaction to it. So, weird, yes, but true. Second sorry it that this chapter is so short. The next one won't be, but this one was kind of an interlude, and there just wasn't much to do with it, but it couldn't be skipped for the sake of coherence. But still, I don't like putting out a chapter so tiny, so forgive me for that one. Please keep reviewing, but I won't put a review limit on this chapter before I keep writing… I know I didn't give you guys much to work with.

Chapter Eight

Gibbs was pacing again. Abby had lost her frail grip on consciousness on the way back to the lab, and he hadn't been able to wake her. Ducky had told him it was probably best to let her sleep. The doctor now knelt beside the futon, examining her.

"This fever concerns me; it's a good deal higher than it was when I last took her temperature," Ducky said, thinking out loud.

"Isn't there some way to bring it down?" Gibbs asked.

"As I don't know much about how this illness works or how it was created, I'm rather hesitant to give her any medicines. They could end up causing more harm than good."

"So you're saying there's nothing you can do?" Gibbs tone was a bit harsher than he'd intended, but Ducky understood the reason.

"There are other ways to control a fever, Jethro." He looked up at the pacing man. "You should go home. Get some rest. It's 3 a.m."

Gibbs gave him a look. "I am not leaving, Duck."

Returning his attention to Abby, Ducky chuckled slightly. "Well, of course you aren't, Jethro, any more than I am. It just seemed proper to suggest it."

Gibbs stared at him for a long moment, then sat down heavily in Abby's computer chair. "Looks like he wasn't lying."

"I'm afraid not."

"This could really kill her, Duck?"

Ducky hesitated for a moment before answering, "If it continues to get worse, yes. A high fever can prove deadly, even without the other complications he described."

Gibbs sighed, leaning forward and resting his head in his hands. "Could… could it be something else?" When Ducky turned around to look at him, he elaborated. "Is it possible he infected her with something common?" He ran her current symptoms through his mind. "Pneumonia, maybe?"

Ducky shrugged slightly. "I suppose it is a possibility, Jethro, but I think it would be unwise to assume that and treat it as such. If we were wrong…" he didn't have to continue.

Gibbs didn't speak for a moment. When he did, there was a note of determination in his voice. "How can we bring her fever down?"

Ducky smiled slightly. Abby had one thing going for her - they weren't going to let her go without a fight. "Go get a washcloth and a bowl of cool water." Sometimes the classics were the best way to go.

Gibbs dashed out of the lab to do as he was asked. Ducky turned his attention back to Abby, taking the blanket from the futon and carefully wrapping it around her. "Hang in there, Abigail. We're going to do our best for you."

With how fast Gibbs returned, he must have run the whole way. He handed the bowl and cloth over to Ducky, kneeling down next to him and watching as he dipped the cloth into the water, wrung it out, folded it, and gently brushed Abby's bangs out of the way and placed it on her forehead. "Hopefully this will bring down her temperature, or at least keep it from getting any higher. It would be a good idea to monitor her, though, in case we need to try a different method."

Gibbs nodded, taking hold of Abby's hand and rubbing her fingers with his thumb. "I'll keep an eye on her, Duck."

Ducky smiled. "I know you will, Jethro." He observed Gibbs for a second, noting the look in his eyes as he watched Abby. It had been a long time since he'd seen such tenderness and concern in Gibbs' expression. "When will we find out what he wanted?" The question seemed random, but Gibbs knew what he meant.

"Should be around 1 this afternoon." Gibbs glanced at his watch. "So in about ten hours." There was silence for a long moment, only broken by the soft whistle of Abby's breaths. Gibbs finally spoke again, softly. "What if she gets worse? What can we do until then, Ducky?"

"I don't know, Jethro," Ducky sighed, lightly stroking Abby's hair. "I don't know."


	9. Chapter 9

It's National Novel Writing Month!!! Yay! One of my favorites. But it leaves a dilemma. Of course I'm going to write an NCIS novel thingie, because, you know, what else would I write? But, hm. Is this my novel, or do I have to start a new one, 'cause I started this one…well, two whole NaNo's ago? If I start a new one, this'll have to go on the backburner for the month, so I can give my best attempt to crank out a full new one. But no promises either way I'll actually finish an entire 50,000+ word novel in a month… I'm sadly busy. So, help me out here! Throw all my effort into this one, or hold back on this one for a while and start a new one? Oh, and, hey, review this chapter for the chapter, not just to tell me! 'Cause, hey, there actually is a review limit on this one before I'll start writing chapter 10!

Chapter Nine

Consciousness was slow in coming, but Abby was kind of glad for that. Memories came with awareness and she preferred her hazy dreams to frightening reality. She hovered on the edge of waking, highly considering letting herself fall back into the darkness that had held her moments ago. But she felt someone holding her hand, and something wonderfully cool being placed on her forehead, and this was enough to urge her to wake up.

It took her a minute to convince her eyes to flicker open, and when she did, her vision was rather fuzzy. She blinked a couple times to clear it, and the darkened lab slowly came into focus. Then her eyes had to adjust to the dim light shining in from the small windows, but she was used to darkness and that came quickly.

"Abby?" The gentle voice drew her attention to the man sitting beside her, one hand holding hers tightly, the other holding the cool thing - a cloth, she figured out after a second's thought - to her forehead. Gibbs. She smiled despite herself.

"Hey," she answered, slightly startled at how quiet her voice was. She cleared her throat, tried again. "You still hanging around?"

He chuckled. "Never left, Abbs."

"Hm. I thought I told you to go home."

His smile widened, and a flicker of relief showed in his expression. "I never do what I'm told."

"Stubborn."

"Yep," He answered with a grin. She frowned at him, but couldn't hold it for long. She was glad he was here; if she'd woken up alone… well, actually, if he hadn't been there, she probably wouldn't have woken up. "How do you feel?"

"Okay," she said automatically, but at his look, she amended herself. "Well… I've felt better."

"I'm sure." He smiled slightly, moving his hand away from her forehead to stroke her hair. It wasn't a terribly intimate gesture, considering the circumstances, but it was enough to make her heart beat a bit faster. She returned the smile.

"So, have you been up all night?" A glance at the window told her the sun had risen.

"No, I slept some," he reassured her.

"Good." She thought for a minute. "What about everyone else?" She didn't know about Kate and Tony, but she remembered Ducky being there last night… at least, she thought she did. She knew she hadn't slept all night, but what happened during the short time she was awake was a bit fuzzy.

"They got some sleep, too."

"At home sleep? Or 'pulling-an-all-nighter' sleep?"

Gibbs smiled slightly, shaking his head. "No one would leave, Abbs. Ducky's probably dozing now; I told him to go rest. Kate and Tony are awake and working; I called up to them at the start of the shift."

Abby nodded. "Okay." Well, at least they'd slept. "Um… any cases today?"

He shook his head again. "Nothing important."

She grinned slightly. "Nothing I'm gonna be working on, you mean?"

He chuckled, giving her hand a small squeeze. "Well, that's one way to put it."

Abby sighed. She was bored with lying around, but in all honesty, the thought of getting up and moving around was exhausting. She didn't understand how she could still feel tired after sleeping almost all night and a large part of the day before. Well, scientifically she understood it, if she thought about it long enough, but she didn't want to think about all the technical reasons. She'd much rather ignore those. Plus, it was hard to concentrate too fully on anything with Gibbs' hand still lightly stroking her hair. Not that she wanted him to stop.

Of course, life never cooperated the way she wanted it to, as an attempt to take a deep breath brought on a fit of coughing. Gibbs hand left her hair to slip behind her back, lifting her up into a sitting position and holding her steady as she fought to catch her breath. It took a good two minutes at the least for her to stifle the coughs, leaving her even more exhausted, her chest feeling tight and achy.

"It's okay, Abbs, just breathe," Gibbs said softly. He'd situated himself behind her on the futon - somehow without her noticing - and now he gently pulled her back to lean against him, keeping her sitting up.

For a long moment she didn't have enough energy to do any more than just lay back against him, panting slightly, trying to get enough air into her lungs. She finally caught her breath enough to mutter, "God, I hate being sick."

Gibbs wrapped his arms lightly around her. "I know, Abby." He sighed slightly. "You're going to be okay."

Abby echoed his sigh, dropping her head back against his shoulder. Of course Gibbs would say that. He always tried to make her feel better. But she'd heard that guy describe how this all worked, as much as Gibbs had, and somehow she found it hard to feel too comforted by his words. But she knew one thing: Gibbs had his arms around her. He was holding her. He was stroking her hair again. And right then, that was all the comfort she needed.


	10. Chapter 10

-1Okay, chapter ten! This came faster than I thought it would. And, honestly, you guys have not met your review limit for me to post! I'm a bit disappointed. L You can do better than that, if people like this story so much. But, lucky for you, I'm too hooked into it to just stop writing. Besides, here's where the 'catch the terrorist' plot can finally get going! Stupid twenty-four hour limit. But, there's still much to come, and it's all planned out here in my head! So, review, 'cause next time I may not be nice enough to post before you meet your limit, guys!

Chapter Ten

Gibbs glanced at his watch for probably the twentieth time that minute, then directed his gaze back towards the computer tech - Gibbs hadn't bothered to remember his name; Harris, maybe? - who was currently setting up a trace program on Tony's computer. "This had better work," he muttered.

"It will. The second _anyone_ calls your cell phone, I'll be able to trace where they're calling from. You'll just have to keep them on the line long enough for it to locate them," the tech explained. Gibbs gave a noncommittal nod. He didn't trust anyone but Abby behind a computer for something as important as this. But Abby couldn't do it, so he was fourced to put the task in the hands of this rather young man. And he wasn't very happy about that.

He checked his watch again. Three minutes till one. He wanted to be back in Abby's lab with her, but he didn't want this all set up in her lab, didn't want her hearing this conversation. At least she wasn't alone; Kate was sitting with her. But, the second this was done, he was going to be right back in the lab. He glared at his cell phone, willing it to ring.

"We're sure he'll call at one?" Tony asked, looking over Harris' shoulder to watch him work on the computer.

"Security tapes put him in Abby's lab at 1302 yesterday. He said he'd call in twenty-four hours." Gibbs put his cell down on his desk, took a step away, spun around and picked it back up. "And he'd damn well better be punctual."

Tony nodded. He and Kate had poured over those security tapes for hours yesterday. The guy knew what he was doing - it was as if he'd known where every camera was, and had skillfully avoided them. He was mysteriously absent from the tapes until he showed up in Abby's lab, and disappeared again shortly after leaving it. Even while inside the lab, he'd avoided facing directly towards the camera, so they couldn't get a good shot of his face - but they had more than enough of Abby's, and he knew Kate felt the same way he did about the terrified expression she'd worn. It'd be quite a race to see who would get the privilege of shooting this guy first.

Gibbs had been reduced to pacing once again, staring at the phone in his hand. Tony's eyes flicked back and forth from the computer screen to the clock to Gibbs' phone to the computer screen again. If this worked, maybe they could cut this drama short, get the antidote, shoot the guy, and make Abby go home for a well-deserved vacation.

Tony shot a look at Harris. This guy was as bad as McGeek, and he wished it could be Abby typing away at that computer. In fact, even McGee would be better than this - at least they knew him - but he was back at Norfolk. And it was immensely annoying, Tony decided, how a person's mind wandered when they were trying to be patient. He joined Gibbs in staring at the cell, his eyes following his boss as he paced back and forth.

Even though they were all waiting for the ring, everyone jumped when it came. Gibbs froze, glanced at the caller ID - unidentified number, of course - shot Harris a pointed look, and flipped open the phone. "Talk."

"Answered on the first ring, I am impressed," came the smooth, accented voice. "You were awaiting my call, I assume?"

"Trace started," Harris reported, keeping his voice low.

"Forget the formalities. Tell me what you want," Gibbs growled.

"Eager, aren't you? Becoming worried about dear Abigail, yes?" A small chuckle followed the words. "Wonderful. It is always encouraging to know that my creations are working as planned."

Gibbs was gripping his phone tightly, trying to keep himself calm enough to avoid yelling. Reading his expression, Harris glanced at Tony. "He's got to keep him on the line for the trace."

"He will. You just concentrate on finding this guy, or that anger you see there?" Tony glared at the tech. "That'll be taken out on you… and I will hold you down for him."

"What do you want from NCIS?" Gibbs spoke clearly and concisely, though perhaps a bit louder than necessary.

"Oh, a report, first. How is the lovely girl holding up? What path is my illness taking? Of course, it is very useful to keep up a running report on how such things work in humans, as all my testings until this point have been on lab rats…" He paused for a moment, then laughed, as if he had made a joke. "I mean the furry ones, of course, not your Abigail."

Gibbs' grip on the phone was so tight his knuckles had turned white, and he was gritting his teeth to bite back the million responses whirling in his mind. How dare he talk about Abby that way? A report? He wanted a _report?_ She wasn't a test subject, she was… she was Abby! The only thing that kept him from completely breaking down and telling the guy off was the knowledge that he needed to keep him on the phone.

"Giving you _reports_ was not a part of the deal," he growled through gritted teeth. "Now tell me what you want if you'd like any chance at getting it."

The man chuckled. "Oh, I'll be getting it, Agent Gibbs. I have no doubt of that. But if you will not give me a report, I shall give you one, based on my knowledge. By this point, I would expect, her fever has probably reached a point near, oh, 100°, at least?" Gibbs glared at nothing in particular; Ducky's last check had put her temp at 100.6°. "She's probably coughing a good bit, as well, perhaps finding breathing more difficult than it should be. And would I be right to assume her heart rate is faster than you might prefer?"

Gibbs was silent. He didn't like how accurate this report was turning out. This guy knew how this illness worked, and from the sound of it, there was little chance Gibbs would be able to make him think Abby was doing better than she was. They would need to get that antidote, and both men knew it.

"Almost got him, Boss," Tony reported, eyes on the computer screen. Gibbs nodded.

"So, as to what I want from you. I'm sure you've guessed that I'm after money, no?"

"I'd thought as much," Gibbs admitted.

"$1,000,000."

Gibbs glanced over at Tony and Harris. Keep him on the line; he'd made his demand; he could hang up at any time now. "That's a lot to ask for in less than 48 hours."

"Oh, you'll get it, Agent Gibbs. You will if you want your dear little Abigail to survive. You have 12 hours to think it over; I'm sure you won't mind the early call. Have your decision ready by then."

"Got him!" Tony announced triumphantly.

Good thing, as the next thing Gibbs heard was a click as the call was ended. He flipped his phone closed, a good deal more forcefully that was necessary. "You know where he called from?"

Harris nodded. "Got a number and a location." He squinted at the screen. "Looks like a payphone number."

Turning his glare on Tony, who was scribbling the number and location onto a notepad, Gibbs barked out, "What the hell are you waiting for, DiNozzo? Get Kate and get out there!"

But Tony didn't need to be told; he was already moving. "On it, Boss!" he called over his shoulder, running for the elevator.

Gibbs tossed his cell onto his desk and fell heavily into his chair. His look was enough to send Harris hurrying away; he wasn't needed anymore and he knew enough not to stick around, lest Gibbs turn his anger on him. With a heavy sigh, Gibbs dropped his head into his hands. Tony and Kate wouldn't find their guy - he'd be gone by the time they got there. But with any luck they'd find evidence that could lead to him. Not that Abby could process it; it'd have to go to another lab, and they only had 48 hours… Where would he get a million dollars?

No, he shouldn't even be thinking that. He wouldn't be getting the money. He would never give into the demands of a terrorist; that was the strictest rule in his book. And, anyways, Tony and Kate would bring back their finds, and then they'd use that to find this guy and save Abby. He was tempted to rush after Tony, go with them, but he knew they could manage this without him. Besides, he had a more important job to do here. He stood, headed for the elevator. Kate was going with Tony, and he wouldn't let Abby be left alone.


	11. Chapter 11

Okay. I know I'm almost a week late and only one chapter, and I am sorry. But for some reason, I had the **_WORST_** case of writer's block possible on this chapter, which is sad, 'cause it turned out so short. I think my inner muse took a vacation… a LONG one. Hopefully she's back now, though, and I'll be able to keep up the writing… though, honestly, I have a job, and now am starting college, so… but I'm working on it!!! Believe it or not, I have a plan for the whole story. It's just the specifics that are a problem. So, anyways, bet you're all sick of hearing me babble. On to the chapter… please review!

Chapter Eleven

Kate read the location written on the piece of paper for probably the millionth time, then looked over at Tony. Normally she hated it when he drove fast, but now, on this long, open stretch and with such an important destination in mind, she wished he'd go faster. Not that he wasn't already far over the speed limit. But they were out in the middle of nowhere, looking for a payphone in the midst of trees and grass and dirt and open space. If they went too fast, they might miss it - at least, that was what logic said. But emotion was screaming to go faster.

"Are we almost there?" she asked, tapping her fingers impatiently on the seat.

"You're the one holding the address, Kate," he answered, not even glancing at her.

"You're the one driving the car, Tony," she muttered back, leaning back in the seat only to lean forward again after a few minutes. "Is that a payphone?"

Tony squinted through the windshield at the distant shape. "I think so." His eyes didn't leave the spot, but the car sped up noticeably. In a couple minutes, the payphone was clearly visible, as was the old gas station a bit behind it, away from the road. The whole place looked run down, and it certainly didn't appear that anyone was there. Not that that was much of a surprise; Kate hadn't expected to find the guy still standing around waiting for them. They were rarely so lucky.

Tony pulled the car to the side of the road a few yards from the payphone in question, and Kate was out of the vehicle before it had even stopped moving. By the time Tony had shut the car off and climbed out, she'd already pulled on a pair of gloves and made it to the payphone.

"Do you even know what we're looking for?" Tony called, grabbing his camera and gear before hurrying after her.

"Anything to help us catch this guy, and fast." That pretty much covered it all. "We should check out the station, too. Looks abandoned, but can't hurt to look around."

"Yeah, I thought that." Tony snapped a picture of the payphone. "Think he'd have left any prints when he dialed the number?"

"Probably not any full ones… Abby always said the ones off phone keys tend to be smudged."

"Won't hurt to try. And print the phone itself, too." Tony snapped another photo, this one of the phone's keypad, then another of the headset. "Like you said. Anything to help."

Kate nodded, feeling a bit pleased that Tony was being serious about this. He could get amazingly mature when the situation called for it, and Kate knew he cared for Abby as much as any of them did. There wasn't time for cracking jokes; the evidence needed to be collected and brought back as fast as possible. After all, there were no guarantees on how fast they'd get results - it wouldn't be Abby processing it.

It was the work of a moment to find the prints left on the phone. The headset was a no-go, everything was way too smudged to be of any use. The keypad, though, yielded rather odd - if not particularly useful - results. "The prints aren't too clear on this, either, but…"

"What?"

"Well, there are only prints on three keys. 2, 4, and 7. There are definitely more numbers than that in Gibbs' cell number."

Tony took another picture of the keypad, this time a close-up of the printed keys. "Plus, there is no '2' in his number."

"That too." Kate let him take another photo, then lifted the prints to take back to headquarters. "Not what I was expecting." _Or hoping for,_ she added silently. There was little chance of getting an ID from these prints, and she knew it. Especially without Abby processing them.

"None of this is what I was expecting," Tony muttered. "Finish up here, then come on. Let's check out the station, then get back."

Kate nodded, finishing with the prints and looking around carefully for anything else out of the ordinary. "I wish there was something else we could get prints off of or something…"

Tony paused thoughtfully. "I know something else in a payphone that can end up with prints… I have an idea, but I don't think Gibbs will like it."

"What?"

Motioning her towards the station, Tony answered, "I'll tell you on the way. Come on, let's get this over with." They both knew they weren't going to find anything in there, but together they hurried towards the old station as if it held the answers to the mystery they were both desperate to solve.

AN: Just a little challenge here, see if anyone'll figure it out: Why those three particular keys? Just want to see if anyone's brain works as oddly as mine does.


	12. Chapter 12

And chapter 12. I just bought all my college books, and I felt so wowed by the amount I have to get into one semester which includes both chemistry and calculus that I had to get my mind off of it. So I came home and wrote this! Yay. Hopefully I'll be able to keep doing that... nice break from all the studying I'm sure is coming. Reviews are muchly appreciated!

Chapter Twelve

Gibbs sighed slightly and looked down at Abby, cradled in his arms. If there had ever been a chance to deny that she was very ill, that chance had disappeared. Her temperature had been steadily rising since he'd come back to the lab, her pulse was much too weak for his liking, and her breathing was shallow and laboured, often punctuated by coughs. She was alternating between consciousness and unconsciousness, and - when awake - between periods of coherence and moments when she quite frankly was too delirious to even know where she was and what was going on. When asleep, it seemed all her dreams were nightmares, and Gibbs had taken to rocking her gently as she slept, as it seemed to comfort her. There wasn't much else he could do besides try to keep her calm and comfortable. He had never felt so helpless, and he _really_ did not like it.

Ducky would come in every once in a while to check on her, but he never stayed long. He'd tell Gibbs to try this or do that in an attempt to bring her fever down, or make some suggestion about how to make her more comfortable, then head back to autopsy. Gibbs knew part of the reason for this was because he was managing to keep Abby calm and keep her temperature controlled as possible without Ducky's constant presence, but he suspected another reason was that Ducky knew there was nothing else he could do for her, and that gave him that same helpless feeling Gibbs was finding so oppressive.

He felt Abby shiver and held her a bit closer. "It's so cold…" she whimpered, curling tighter against him. He wanted to get another blanket to wrap her in, but Ducky had said not to; she needed to lose heat, not gain it, no matter how cold she thought it was. So he settled for hugging her tightly and tucking her head under his chin, one hand moving to lightly stroke her hair.

"I've got you, Abby."

She nestled against him, sighing softly. They sat in silence for a moment before she raised her head to look up at him. "What month is it?" she asked. "I… I don't remember." She was obviously a bit annoyed at herself for not knowing the answer to such a simple question.

"Late November, Abbs," he answered gently. "Thanksgiving was last week."

She nodded slightly. "Oh, yeah. No wonder it's cold." She was quiet for a moment, thoughtful, before continuing, "It's almost winter, then." Gibbs nodded, and she smiled. "Winter's my favourite season."

"Why's that?" Gibbs asked, if only to keep conversation going. He had to admit he felt better when she was awake, coherent, and talking to him, even if the conversation seemed pointless and was full of her usual random rabbit trails and babble sprees. Compared to the alternative, he'd take her babble any day.

"Well, lots of reasons!" Her mischievous grin told him there were probably a couple more than he'd be hearing. "I think the trees look cool without leaves, and it's cloudy so that means less sun. But, mainly 'cause in winter it snows, and I like snow."

"Snow is nice," he agreed.

Abby nodded. "I mean, if it's gotta be so cold, at least we get something out of it," she commented, making him chuckle. Encouraged by his amusement, she continued. "And snow's all nice and pure and clean and all, and it covers up anything that's not. Makes the world look… I don't know. Like things really are that white and pure." Gibbs nodded. Leave it to Abby to take something simple and make it deep and profound. She had an amazing way of thinking about things; he'd never met anyone who could think like she did. _And, of course, she can also switch moods faster than anyone I know, _he thought as she added, almost as an afterthought, "Plus, it's really fun to play in."

He smiled slightly. "I wouldn't know about that, Abbs. It's been a rather long time since I've played in snow."

She managed to look both stern and teasing at the same time. "Oh, Gibbs. That's not allowed. It's mandatory to play in snow when it's there."

He raised an eyebrow. "That's a rule?"

She nodded solemnly. "Yes, it is. An important one that was _not_ made to be broken."

"Well, then, I'm sorry. Next time I see snow, I will be sure to stop and make a snowball or two."

"Good." She seemed satisfied with his promise. Settling against him, she sighed slightly. "When I was little, we'd go up to a cabin somewhere in the mountains, every winter, for a week - usually for Christmas. There was always a ton of snow, and my brother and I would make snowmen, and my mom showed us how to make snow angels, and daddy would have snowball wars with us."

Gibbs was a bit surprised at her sharing that with him; she very rarely talked about her family or her childhood, and he knew that such a memory was a precious thing to share with someone. "Sounds like fun."

She nodded. "Lots of fun." She was silent for a moment, thoughtful. "Gibbs? Can we go somewhere snowy?"

The question came as a surprise, but he had hardly even processed it before he heard himself answer. "Of course, Abbs. As soon as this is over, I'll take you somewhere with lots of snow."

Her smile lit up the room. "Yay! That'll be nice." She shifted her position slightly, letting her head drop lightly against his shoulder. "You'll like playing in the snow. It's a lot of fun," she said quietly, tiredly.

Smiling down at her, Gibbs nodded. "I'm sure you'll have me in a snowball fight in no time."

"Yep. Snowball fights are a basic 'playing in the snow' requirement."

He chuckled slightly and held her a bit closer. She was having a hard time keeping her eyes open, and he could tell. "Go to sleep, Abbs. You'll need to be all rested up for our vacation." She smiled at him, and he smiled back. "I'll be here when you wake up."

"Promise?"

"I promise." His word was apparently enough for her; she let her eyes drift closed.

Gibbs sighed slightly. He wasn't sure what he'd gotten himself into, promising to take her somewhere snowy, but he was kind of looking forward to the vacation. He knew he wouldn't regret the promise… he just hoped he'd get the chance to keep it.


	13. Chapter 13

Wow, this took a long time to get out. I'm really sorry about that. I had the WORST case of writer's block on this one. I know it seems like the plot's going kind of slowly, but I promise it will pick up; there are just all these little things I have to take care of before I can move it on. To Fredikayllow, for example, things in the last chapter will become important to the plot later; I know it doesn't seem like it, but I needed to put that chapter in for things to work out the way I want them to later. So stick with me, here, don't give up on me. And, please review, as usual. Let me know people still read this. Thanks!

Chapter Thirteen

"So how're you gonna explain this to Gibbs?"

Tony shot Kate a look. "Who says _I'm_ gonna explain it?"

"Well, it was your idea," she countered.

"He's less likely to yell at you."

Kate rolled her eyes. "Not really. But, I don't think he's going to yell at anyone. I mean, we're trying to help out, and this was the best way we could think of to get all the evidence we could."

"See?" Tony said, nodding. "You just explained it. Now you just have to say it to Gibbs." He flashed her a grin.

Kate looked at him, started to reply, then apparently decided against it, sighing and nodding. "Whatever. Let's just go in before he yells at us for standing around in the hallway."

"So you do think he'll yell at us."

"Tony!"

Tony sighed. Yes, he was stalling. No, he did not want to walk through those doors. But not because he dreaded his boss's reaction to their method of evidence collection, though that was sure to be interesting. He was dreading something else entirely.

He hadn't seen Abby since the start of this whole drama. He hadn't been consciously trying to avoid seeing her; he'd been busy with the case. But a part of him had been putting off entering her lab. Abby was one of his best friends; the little sister he'd never had. He didn't want to see her in any danger, especially when he couldn't help her. And as long as he stayed away, didn't see her to get any evidence to the contrary, he could convince himself she was fine. But now they needed to talk to Gibbs, and he was with Abby in her lab, which meant he would have to go into said lab and admit she was anything but fine, and he was not looking forward to that. He sighed. "Okay. Let's go."

The _swish_ of the lab doors opening was familiar; the silence that greeted his ears as he walked into the lab was not. He'd never been in her lab without music playing. Music seemed as mandatory as air in Abby's world, and now the silence seemed unbearably loud. It was amazing how something as slight as the lack of music seemed to change the lab from friendly and inviting to unwelcoming and scary.

It was easy to find Gibbs and Abby; Tony knew where she kept the futon, and Kate had been down to see her earlier. Tony had to pause for a moment to take in the scene in front of him, though Kate seemed unfazed - Abby curled up in Gibbs' arms, apparently asleep, while he lightly stroked her hair and rocked her gently. He'd never seen Gibbs act so tenderly… or Abby appear so weak. Both just didn't feel right.

"Boss, we're back," he said, his voice sounding loud in the silent room and earning him a sharp glare from both Gibbs and Kate. He quickly lowered the volume to a whisper. "Sorry."

Gibbs hesitated a moment before carefully laying Abby on the futon, pulling the blanket up around her before standing and walking over to where Tony and Kate were. "What'd you find?" He asked, matching Tony's whisper.

"Not much," Kate replied with a sigh, keeping her voice soft as well. "Couple partial prints on the payphone. The director told us which lab to give them to; they're on top priority."

"They'd better be. Anything else?"

"Not really." Kate was quiet for a second, glancing over at Tony. He raised an eyebrow at her, and she sighed again, apparently deciding to just say it, since he obviously wasn't going to. "We… sort of brought the whole payphone back."

"You what?"

"Well, Tony said that, since it's unlikely many people used that payphone, there might not be many coins in there." Seeing Gibbs glaring slightly, Tony decided to help out a bit.

"Coins can have prints on them," he explained. "And since we didn't have the tools to take the phone apart and get the coins out on the scene, we decided to just bring the whole thing back."

"It's on top priority, too," Kate offered.

"It had better be," Gibbs muttered, glancing over his shoulder at Abby.

"How… how is she?" Tony asked hesitantly. Gibbs shot him a glance.

"She'll be much better when we catch this guy."

Kate was quiet for a long moment before softly asking, "Gibbs? What if we don't catch him?" Gibbs started to respond, but she hurriedly continued before he could. "I mean, shouldn't we have a back-up plan, an idea for how we could get the money if it comes down to that?"

"It won't come down to that," Gibbs said firmly.

"But what if it does?"

"We do not give in to the demands of terrorists, Agent Todd." He somehow managed to sound just as firm and threatening as usual without raising the volume of his voice at all. "And we won't start now." His tone left no room for argument, Kate fell silent.

Gibbs walked back over to the futon and sat down beside Abby, carefully lifting her head into his lap. After a moment, Tony followed him, sitting on the floor beside the futon and hesitantly taking her hand. After a minute or two, Kate announced that she was going to go check if they'd managed to get the coins out of the payphone yet; her words were met with silent nods as she turned and left.

Silence fell over the lab again, broken only by the soft wheezes of Abby's breathing. Tony ran his thumb lightly over the back of her hand, quietly watching her sleep. Why did Kate have to ask that? Now all his brain could think of was that awful 'What if'. He didn't want to think about the 'what if'. This was his best friend; her life should not be balanced on a 'what if' scale.

Gibbs sighed heavily, making Tony glance up at him, and gently slid himself out from under Abby, clambering to his feet. "I have to take care of something," he announced, and Tony nodded.

"I'll stay with her," he promised, moving to take Gibbs' place, lightly running his hand across Abby's forehead. Gibbs nodded and headed for the door; Tony heard the soft _whoosh_ of the doors opening and closing. He stared after him for a moment before turning his attention back to Abby.

"Come on, Abbs. You've gotta stick with us until we work this out." He reached down to grab the blanket and pulled it up around her shoulders. "We're going to find this guy and get you that medicine, okay? So hang in there." He sighed slightly. No 'what ifs'. There was no 'what if'. They were going to find this guy. And they were going to get that antidote. "You're going to be fine, Abby. I promise. And you know I never make a promise to you that I won't keep." He prayed he wouldn't end up breaking that record now.


	14. Chapter 14

Wow, this one was out fast!!! Buuuut, it's short, so it wasn't particularly difficult. It does leave me with some explaining to do, though, because I've brought in a character nobody knows. Two, actually. So, I shall explain; forgive me the long author's note. Pendergast is an FBI agent, property of the authors Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. My friend and I have long been planning a story where he has to work with NCIS, but as of yet, it has not come far beyond the planning stages. I am working on it, but I'd like to finish this one first, because it'll be another big project that will take up a lot of time. But, all that needs to be known for the purposes of this story (that I won't explain in the story itself) is that Pendergast is an FBI agent who has worked with NCIS before, that he is ridiculously rich (family inheritance), and that he and Abby have known each other for a long time and are very close. Now that that's explained, I'll add my normal 'Please review!!!' and go on with the chapter. Thanks!

Chapter Fourteen

Gibbs was pacing once again. Of course, the elevator did not leave much room for pacing. But he'd been managing it for the past five minutes, walking from corner to corner of the stopped elevator, staring at the cell phone he held in his hand. It was 1615 - 4:15 PM. The next call would come at 0100 - 1:00 AM. So he had time to wait. But - maybe - he had another call to make.

He stopped pacing and leaned against the metal wall. No. He couldn't make that call. Of course he couldn't. He shouldn't even be considering it! What the hell was he thinking?

But Abby was so sick. If she'd gotten that bad in just over 28 hours… the terrorist had said she had 72. He could have lied. He _easily_ could have lied. And if he had… she was already so weak… what would they do? So he had to call.

Hadn't he _just_ finished telling Kate this? They couldn't even consider the option of giving in to what he wanted. They did not give in to the demands of terrorists! _HE _did not give in to the demands of terrorists! EVER. He just did not. He would not. He couldn't call.

But she was dying. God, Abby was dying. Her fever wouldn't go down, she could hardly breathe without coughing, her pulse just would not stay steady. How much longer could she hold on? This call could save her.

He couldn't do what a terrorist wanted. No call. He couldn't let Abby die. So yes, call. But it went against every rule in his book. He couldn't call. His Abby was dying. He had to call. He'd never forgive himself if he broke this code. But, God, he could not lose Abby.

He flipped the phone open, pressed the speed-dial button, pressed it to his ear, clenched his free hand into a tight fist and listened to the rings. Maybe he wouldn't pick up. _He'd better pick up._

And on the third ring, the phone was answered. "Agent Gibbs!" The familiar soft, southern-accented voice was both a relief and an annoyance to hear. "If it weren't for caller ID, I would not have answered. You don't usually call during business hours." There was a short pause. "Actually, you don't usually call."

Gibbs sighed. "Pendergast." He could hardly believe what he was doing… calling an FBI agent for help. "I normally don't call you, no. But… we kind of have an emergency."

"You usually have Abigail call me," Pendergast replied lightly, his tone a bit teasing.

"That's the emergency."

The pause this time lasted a long moment, and when he spoke again, all sense of jollity had disappeared from his tone. "What happened?"

Gibbs poured out the explanation in a rush; he had to get it all out before his brain caught up and convinced him to hang up the phone. There was another long pause when he finished, and then Pendergast asked, "What do you need?"

"He…" Gibbs stopped, sighed, almost hung up, but the mental picture of Abby lying on that autopsy table spurred him on. "He wants $1 million."

"You'll have it," Pendergast promised. "I cannot come myself - I am currently preoccupied - but I will send Agent DeMedici with it." He paused thoughtfully for a second, then added, "I assure you he will be made to understand the gravity of the situation and will arrive post-haste."

"We probably won't even need it," Gibbs hurried to tell him. "I mean, it's just for a decoy, if it comes down to that. We're not actually going to give him the money."

He could picture Pendergast's small smile by his tone. "Of course not. But it is always good to have a back-up plan in such instances. I understand completely, and I will handle the matter accordingly."

Gibbs was silent for a long moment before admitting, "I owe you one," and snapping the phone shut. He stood still for a long moment, staring at the phone, then spun swiftly and hit the metal wall of the elevator as hard as he could with his fist. The loud _BANG_ that resulted echoed in the enclosed space and he leaned his forehead against the cold wall and took a few deep breaths. But by the time the echoes had died down, he had regained his composure, and he pressed the button to start the elevator again, resuming its trip down to autopsy.

Of course he'd never use the money. It was merely a precaution. He could use it to his advantage, a false bargain, that's why he wanted it. He'd be returning it to Pendergast as soon as this was over, likely untouched. No matter what, he would not hand it over to the terrorist. That rule was too important, more than any of the others. That was one rule he would _NEVER _break… no matter what the consequences.


	15. Chapter 15

Well, here's chapter fifteen. Yet another 'not really fun but necessary in the long run' type chapter that was not easy to write. But I'm soon I'll get back into the fully planned elements of the story, and then the chapters should come easier, and that'll be better for everyone, right? Right. Yep. So, reviews please!! And I'll try to get the next one out soon. Thanks!

Chapter Fifteen

"What else can we do, Duck?" Gibbs asked, half-sprinting through the autopsy doors, barely stopping in time to avoid running straight into Ducky, who apparently had been about to walk out the same set of doors.

"About what, Jethro?" the doctor asked calmly, earning himself a look.

"You know what."

"Actually, at the moment, I don't," Ducky sighed, taking a few backwards steps and leaning back against one of the metal tables. "Is her temperature climbing too high again? Or is she having too much trouble breathing?"

"Both."

Ducky sighed again, pushing himself off of the table and moving to dig through a cabinet. "I know I said we shouldn't give her any medication, since we aren't certain of the effects… but if her condition does not improve, it might become our only workable option."

Gibbs echoed his sigh. "Well, what can we do until then, Duck?" he asked softly.

Ducky shook his head, stepping away from the cabinet while gazing thoughtfully at the floor. "She… probably won't like this. Neither will you, and neither do I, really, but it might help."

"What, Ducky?" Gibbs demanded, not as fiercely as he might have to anyone else.

"We have to bring her down to autopsy." Gibbs instantly began to argue, but Ducky cut him off. "It's colder down here; it might help with her fever. And with her down here, if I do need to give her any type of medicine, I'll have more ready access to it." He sounded as if he were trying to convince himself of it as well as Gibbs. "It's really our most convenient option in that sense, and the colder temperature might help keep her fever under control."

Gibbs shook his head slowly, memories of his nightmare running top-speed through his mind. "I can't put Abby on one of those tables, Duck. I can't."

"I know how you feel, Jethro, but…" he paused, as if to decide how to say the next part, then apparently decided to just go ahead with it. "I'd much rather put her there now, alive, then to have to place her there later when she might not be." He met Gibbs' eyes for a moment, then sighed and dropped his gaze back to the floor. "Anything that might help her get better, Jethro, I'd be willing to do."

Gibbs stared at him for a moment, sighed heavily, and nodded his head. "Yeah. Me too." He was quiet for a moment, then nodded again. "I'll… I'll try to explain it to her, why we need to bring her down here. If you really think it might help."

"I think it's the best option we have right now," Ducky admitted with yet another sigh. "Which, I'll say again, does not mean I like it." He thought for a moment before asking, "What else should we be concerned about?"

"Well, her breathing's not good, like I said. And her pulse is really unsteady. It'll go from being much too slow to being almost too fast to count, then back to slow again." He shook his head. "Pretty much… everything he said would happen."

Ducky nodded, moving to lean against the table again. "Is she sleeping now?"

"Yeah. Tony's with her."

"How long has it been since she woke up last?"

"About an hour."

"Coherent?"

"Yeah. We talked." He saw no reason to go into more detail than that if it wasn't requested.

"That's good, then," Ducky said lightly. At Gibbs' glance, he explained, "That means her fever's still at least _moderately_ under control; it hasn't reached a point where it's directly life-threatening."

Gibbs nodded, though in his mind, he couldn't picture how she could get much worse. No, that wasn't true - he just didn't want to picture it. He sighed slightly. "I called Pendergast."

Ducky shot him a startled look, but somehow kept his tone even. "What did he have to say?"

"He's sending DeMedici with the million." Gibbs joined him beside the table. "He said he'd be here 'post-haste'."

Ducky nodded and gave a small, relieved sounding sigh. "Thank God."

Gibbs glanced at him. "We can't give the guy the money, Duck. He's a terrorist."

"I'm aware of that, Jethro. Of course we can't give it to him."

"It's illegal. Especially for us. And for Pendergast, too. He's FBI. He could get in a lot of trouble just for transferring it to us." Gibbs tapped his fingers idly against the table.

"I know. And I'm sure he knows." After a short pause, he added, "And there's nothing worth breaking that law for."

"Right. Nothing."

After another long pause, Ducky looked over at him. "So, why, exactly, did you call Pendergast to request the money?"

Gibbs sighed. "I don't know. I figured maybe we could use it for a decoy, if it comes down to that. Tell him we have the money. Try to trick him into a trade or something."

Ducky nodded. "Do you think he'd fall for that?"

"Maybe." But even as he said it, he knew it was a rhetorical question. This guy had seemed almost genius so far. Getting around the cameras, leaving himself almost untraceable, calling from a payphone in the middle of nowhere, not leaving any decent prints on said phone… and he was a scientist; he knew what he'd made, he knew how it worked, and he knew he had the leverage over them. And, Gibbs was sure, he also knew that he could fake the antidote and the entire NCIS team would still do everything they possibly could to get it from him.

"And if he doesn't?" Ducky asked hesitantly. "And it comes down to the money or his antidote?"

"I don't know, Ducky," Gibbs admitted softly. "I really don't know."


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter sixteen! I'm doing good with this recently. Guess I hit on an easy patch. I'll do my best to keep it up; I'm having fun with it. But I'll try to keep up my other stories, too, 'cause I have a tendency to just concentrate on one 'til writer's block hits, so I don't want to neglect the others this time. Please keep the reviews coming; they're really encouraging! I love hearing that people actually like what I'm writing; that way I know I'm not the only one enjoying myself. Thanks!

Chapter Sixteen

Dreams were bad. Abby tossed and turned weakly, half-awake and trying to escape the nightmares that entrapped her. She knew where this one was heading, and she did not want to be there again. She'd stood helpless in the midst of her worst fear too many times, and still she couldn't convince herself it wasn't real, couldn't pull herself out of it.

But there were hands holding her, and a gentle voice soothing her, guiding her back to reality. It wasn't Gibbs' voice, but it was familiar, comforting just the same, so she held onto it and let it pull her out of the nightmare and into consciousness.

It took her a long time to convince her eyes to open, and to bring her hazy vision into something resembling focus. With both managed, though, she found herself gazing up into a pair of concerned hazel eyes and a familiar grin. "'Mornin', Abbs."

"Tony?" Her voice came out much weaker than she would have preferred, and rather breathless, but she knew from experience that clearing her throat would not help, and an attempt at a deep breath would just lead to bad things. She did notice how surprised her tone sounded, and hoped he didn't take that the wrong way. Judging by his smile, though, he didn't.

"The one and only," he answered flippantly, making her smile as well. He lay a gentle hand on her forehead. "Bad dream?"

"Mmhm," she mumbled, nodding slightly and regretting it when the movement sent a jolt of pain through her; wonderful, the headache was back again. Tony must have noticed her wince; he shifted his position slightly to settle her head into his lap, one hand remaining on her forehead to hold her still, the other resting lightly on her shoulder. After a moment she regained her composure enough to ask, curiously, "Is it morning already?"

"Nah. Quarter 'til five."

She raised an eyebrow slightly. "Then why'd you say good morning?"

He grinned, that signature grin he was known for. "Well, you only just woke up, so I couldn't very well say 'good night'." He chuckled, and she laughed with him, though laughing led to coughing and it took her a minute to catch her breath. He started to apologize, but she beat him to it.

"Sorry. Cough sneaks up on me."

"Don't be sorry, Abby. It's not your fault." She could see the worry in his eyes, and attempted a smile to make him feel better.

"I'm glad to see you, Tony." She was. She knew it couldn't have been too long, really, since she'd seen him last, but it felt like it had been ages. Kate had been to see her since this whole thing started, but Tony hadn't, and she'd missed him. And, to be completely honest, a part of her had been scared she wouldn't see him again; that this would be the end of her and she'd never even get to say goodbye to one of her closest friends. Of course, she wouldn't voice that, because it would only result in manifold reassurances that she was going to be fine, but that rebellious corner of her brain kept bringing such thoughts and worries around.

Tony smiled down at her. "Figured it was about time I got my butt down here to see you," he said softly. "Sorry it took me so long."

"It's okay." She sighed slightly. His hand was cool against her forehead; a soothing relief from the heat that felt like it was burning her up. Her head was pounding, and her chest ached awfully with each breath. She did her best to stifle the coughing fit she felt growing, managing to keep it down to only a few short coughs, though at the expense of her ability to really breathe. But Tony was smarter than that.

"Come on, Abbs, breathe." He slipped his arm behind her back, lifting her up a bit, but that meant removing his hand from her forehead, drawing a tiny whimper from her as the heat flooded back. "Just try to breathe steady." She did her best to obey between coughs, and as soon as she'd caught her breath again, he laid her gently back down and replaced his hand on her forehead. "It's okay. You're gonna be okay, Abbs."

She closed her eyes for a moment. "Everyone keeps saying that."

"It's true!" Tony insisted. "Don't you start getting all fatalistic on me. It's not allowed." He sounded teasing, but she could hear the alarmed note in his voice. She opened her eyes partially to peer up at him.

"I know. I'm not. No worries." She smiled slightly. "I know it's true. Doesn't change the fact that everyone _does_ keep saying it."

He chuckled. "Guess we're just making sure you know."

"Yeah." She smiled a bit wider. "I do. Thanks for that." They sat in silence for a while before the _swish _of the doors attracted both of their attention. Gibbs paused a few feet away from them.

"Hey, Abbs. You're awake."

"Your powers of observation will never cease to amaze me," she teased lightly, earning herself a look, softened by a smile.

"I try." He walked over to sit down beside the futon, taking her hand in his. She squeezed his hand weakly, and he squeezed back. "How're you doing?"

"Okay." She smiled slightly, glanced up at Tony. "Just chatting away, here." Tony smiled back at her.

"Yep. But, it is five o'clock now, and if I don't get to work, Kate might be a bit annoyed with me. Not to mention what the boss might do," he added quietly, as if it were confidential information; Gibbs glared, and Abby laughed.

"Well, we can't have that," she agreed. "You'd better get moving."

"I'll stop by later, okay? I promise," he said, and at her nod, carefully slid himself out from under her, gently settling her on the futon before he stood. "See you later Abbs, Boss." Gibbs nodded at him as he turned to leave, and Abby lifted her free hand in a weak wave.

"How are you feeling, Abby?" Gibbs asked after a moment's pause.

"About the same. Except it is definitely not cold anymore." She made a small attempt to kick the blanket off. "Did someone turn up the heat? Or is it just me?"

Gibbs smiled reassuringly, but it looked a bit fourced. "It is a little warm, I guess." He pulled the blanket off the rest of the way, then reached up to brush a hand across her forehead; she leaned into the touch, so he left it there. "We need to get you cooled down, Abbs. Fever's still pretty high."

She nodded faintly. "How?"

Gibbs sighed. "Ducky says we should bring you down to autopsy. It's colder there, you might be more comfortable."

She looked at him uncertainly. "To autopsy?"

"Yeah. It might help you feel better, Abbs. And we need to bring your fever down." She could tell from his expression that he didn't like the idea much more than she did. "Are you okay with this?"

She hesitated a moment. She really didn't want to leave the lab. She felt safe in her lab. But it was cooler down in autopsy, and she currently felt like she was on fire, it was so hot. Though that was subject to change; hadn't it been freezing a little while ago? And autopsy was not the most comforting place to be at this moment. _At least they won't have far to carry you later,_ that rebellious part of her brain chimed in, to which she replied, _Shut up! Don't think like that._ But of course her mind never listened to her. "Y-yeah… I guess so."

"I'll stay with you, Abbs. I promise. I'm not going to leave you alone."

Abby nodded slightly. "Okay. Yeah."

Despite all the worries in her mind, it still felt good to be in Gibbs' arms again as he lifted her, settling her against him. She dropped her head onto his shoulder with a small sigh. "It'll be okay, Abbs. You're going to be fine." Somehow, hearing it from him, it never seemed repetitive.


	17. Chapter 17

And chapter seventeen! Yay! I'm doing really well on these updates. About one a day going here. Don't know how long this streak will last, but I'm taking advantage of it while it does. Oh, I wrote the last chapter today!! Well, the rough draft version. Which is good, because it means I've planned the ending, so this story might actually make it to said ending! Though, of course, by the time it gets there, said ending might also have completely changed, 'cause that tends to happen… but I'm not gonna tell you if I planned for a happy ending or a sad one, so ha. Lol. Anyways, yes, please review, as always. Thanks!

Chapter Seventeen

Gibbs hesitated outside the autopsy doors. He knew Abby was not completely comfortable with this idea, and he was not comfortable with it either, but he also knew that Ducky was right, it was the best option they had. He sighed slightly, held Abby a bit closer, and walked through the doors.

Ducky was waiting for them, and from the looks of it he'd been busy. He'd draped a blanket over one of the tables and had another one folded and waiting, and he'd also provided a pillow - where he'd gotten them, Gibbs wasn't sure - in an attempt to make it a bit more comfortable and appear a little less threatening. It helped, but only a little - but it was a bit comforting that he wouldn't be laying Abby directly on that cold metal.

"Hey Ducky," Abby said softly, lifting her head an inch or two off Gibbs' shoulder to look at the doctor.

"Hello, my dear. How are you feeling?" he asked gently.

"Okay." She sighed slightly. "Except I'm tired again." She dropped her head back on Gibbs' shoulder; he could feel her shallow breaths on his neck. He tightened his grip on her slightly.

Ducky came over to them and gently placed his hand on her forehead for a moment. Gibbs could see the worry in his eyes, but his tone remained steady. "Sleep is good for you, you know."

"Yeah," she mumbled faintly. "But it's getting boring."

Gibbs glanced down at her. "Not counting yesterday and today, how many hours of sleep would you say you've gotten over the past week?"

Abby opened one eye to peer up at him. "Um… the normal amount."

"You've spent at least four nights in your lab, Abby. And the three you weren't, you were at a party for two of them."

She smiled sheepishly. "Okay, well, normal amount for me."

"Then you can use the extra rest," he told her firmly. Though his tone left little room for argument, it was still a bit unnerving that she didn't even attempt a response, merely closing her eyes again and nestling against him a bit.

He knew he should lay her down on the table, but he couldn't quite bring himself to do it. He liked having her curled up in his arms. He felt better when he was holding her, when he could hear her breathing and feel every movement and know how she was doing. She coughed softly, and he held her a little closer; she settled against him with a small sigh. He felt like he could protect her, this way. Sure, part of it was definitely that he just didn't want to place her on that table, but even if it were a bed or the futon in her lab, he preferred to keep her in his arms.

Ducky apparently understood his feelings, for he didn't suggest that Gibbs lay her down. He gently took hold of her wrist to check her pulse, trying to hide the concern in his expression, then busied himself in digging through a drawer until he found a glass thermometer. He washed it in the sink, then walked back over to them and instructed Abby to open her mouth, which she did automatically, eyes still shut. After about three minutes, he took the thermometer again and looked at the reading. "102.4." He looked up, met Gibbs' worried gaze, and smiled reassuringly. "That's not terribly higher than it was two hours ago, considering the rate it's been rising before now." Turning his attention to Abby, he asked, "Do you still feel cold, my dear?"

"No," she answered weakly, her voice just above a whisper. "Hot."

He nodded, seeming surprisingly relieved by this information. "Is that good?" Gibbs asked uncertainly.

"It means her temperature isn't rising anymore at the moment. If she were having chills, it would mean her body was still trying to raise the temperature; if she feels too warm, it's holding steady, or perhaps even going down." Ducky smiled slightly. "It could mean her body is beginning to fight this thing off. I'd say it's the better option."

The relief Gibbs felt at that thought was unspeakable. If her body was fighting it off… he'd never tested it on a human before; maybe humans could survive it without an antidote. Maybe their immune systems were enough to handle what experimental animals couldn't. She did seem to be breathing a bit easier, and she'd been fully coherent the past couple of times she'd been awake. If her immune system was kicking in… if she could fight it off on her own… she could get better. She could make it through this. Abby was strong - if anyone could beat this, she could.

Ducky walked over to the sink to wash off the thermometer, glancing at Gibbs over his shoulder. "That's all I can do while you're holding her, Jethro."

Gibbs took the rather obvious hint, sighing slightly and heading for the table. He hugged her gently before carefully laying her down on the blanket. She opened her eyes half-way to watch him as he fluffed the pillow a bit and unfolded the second blanket to drape over her, then let her eyes drift shut once more as he took hold of her hand.

After a moment Ducky came back over, holding a stethoscope; Gibbs found himself wondering why a pathologist would have one of those, but decided after a moment it didn't matter. "Abby, I need to get you sitting up for a minute so I can check your breathing, okay?" Ducky requested. She whimpered slightly, but nodded, making an attempt to sit up; she failed manage much more than lifting her head a few inches, but Gibbs was ready to help. He slipped a hand behind her back and lifted her into a sitting position, waiting until Ducky slipped an arm around her shoulders before hopping up to sit behind her on the table, directing her to lean back against him.

Ducky spent a moment listening to her breathing, carefully shifting her so as to listen from the back, before stepping back and signaling Gibbs to lay her back down. He did so, moving the pillow and sliding into its place so that her head was cradled in his lap. He could compromise - this was kind of like holding her. Ducky gave him a small smile as he moved to put the stethoscope away.

"Done?" Abby asked tiredly, earning herself a small smile as well.

"Yes, my dear, you may sleep now," he told her lightly. She gave a small, relieved sigh and shifted onto her side, settling herself into Gibbs' lap and closing her eyes once more. It only took a few minutes before her ragged breathing settled into a slow - though slightly uneven - rhythm, letting him know she'd fallen asleep. He stroked her hair lightly, watching her for a while before turning his attention to Ducky, who'd settled into his chair.

"How's it look, Duck?" he asked softly, careful not to wake her.

Ducky nodded slightly. "Currently, not as bad as I expected, to tell the truth. Her pulse is fast, but a bit stronger than it was. Breathing's about the same, but at least it hasn't gotten any worse. Her fever is high, but not dangerously so, and doesn't appear to be rising at the moment, so if we can just bring it down…" He smiled a bit. "Maybe she will be able to fight this off and we won't have to worry about how to get the antidote."

Gibbs sighed with relief. "That would be a great thing to have confirmed, Ducky."

"Well, right now, all I have to give you is the hesitant hope."

"Guess that'll have to do for now."

Ducky was silent for a moment. "When is Agent DeMedici coming with the money?"

"I have no idea where Pendergast was or where DeMedici will be coming from, so I have no idea. Just that Pendergast said it shouldn't take him long." He shot Ducky a look. "What happened to not needing it?"

"As I may have mentioned, it's good to have a back-up, in case her immune system isn't strong enough to fight it off on her own." Ducky shrugged.

Gibbs looked down at Abby, lightly running his fingers through her hair. "Abby's strong."

"Yes, she is," Ducky agreed, but Gibbs could hear the underlying uncertainty in his tone. Yes, Abby was strong… but there was always the chance that this illness was stronger. And that was the chance that they had to be prepared for.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 17! Normally I wouldn't post this right now, 'cause the last chapter only got four reviews and I usually wait for five. But I'm trying to keep up one a night for as long as I can… goals help motivate me, even if all this writing is taking a bit off my homework time. Lol. But this one takes a bit of explaining, too, so forgive me another longish author's note. Dominic DeMedici. He always takes some explaining. He is a character of my friend's creation, which I helped out with a bit. He is Pendergast's sort-of partner, and is brilliant… but a liiiitle crazy. Which I'm sure you'll figure out after only a few moments' acquaintance with him. But he will have a little part in the rest of this story, so I hope everyone will learn to love him… or, at least, to laugh at him. I do. So, anyways, review please… try to get me at least five this time? Please? Thanks!

Chapter Eighteen

Kate sighed, tapping her fingers idly on her desk as she stared a bit blankly at the computer monitor. She was doing a rather desperate search for something, _anything _suspicious within a ten-mile radius of the abandoned gas station the terrorist had called from. So far, nothing. No, there was a farm. Which was a little odd, considering the location, but it was registered and recorded and there was nothing suspicious about a farm. But if she didn't find something soon, she'd _find_ something suspicious about the farm, just to have something.

Her mind was working a mile a minute, whirling with unanswered questions. How'd he get in, for one thing? After the things with Ari - she shuddered slightly at the memories - security had been upped. And how could he have avoided the cameras the way he had managed to? Like he knew where every one was. _She_ didn't even know where every camera was. And she'd worked here almost a year now. So how had he known?

The more she thought, the more questions she came up with. Why Abby, for instance? Why not someone else… like the director? If she wanted a ransom, she'd go for someone higher up than a lab tech. And why were there only prints on those three numbers? Was there a meaning behind that, a clue? Or was it just some odd coincidence? Or a trick to throw them off? Why only $1 million? Yes, it was a lot, but he could ask for more, if he were really so sure he'd get it. Or he could ask for other things on top of the money, so why only ask for $1 million. And then there was the rudimentary but still noteworthy 'how did he get Gibbs' cell number?' Sure, it wouldn't be terribly difficult to find it, if he had some computer skills, but it was still a question worth asking. So she was left with a lot of questions and no answers. Except for that danged farm. Some answer.

She looked over at Tony, who was sitting at his own desk, typing frantically. He'd been working at top speed ever since he'd come back up from Abby's lab. She'd never seen him work so determinedly. "Find anything?"

"Nothing. You?"

"Nope," she sighed heavily.

Tony matched her sigh. "So we have security tapes with no clear shot, a payphone with no useable prints, a handful of coins that still _need_ to be printed…" Tony was obviously rather annoyed that 'top priority' didn't seem to mean the same thing to the other lab techs as it did to Abby, "and miles of bare land."

"And a farm."

"Yes." Tony glanced up at her. "Owned by one Richard Thomas, registered as a produce and dairy farm, no suspicious activity previously reported there, and he's _definitely_ not Palestinian. Thus, not our guy, and probably having nothing to do with our guy."

"Tell me something I don't know," Kate muttered. The voice that answered her was not Tony's.

"The British are coming, the British are coming!" They both spun towards the voice in time to see a tall blonde man stepping out of the elevator, holding a briefcase in one hand. "One if by land and two if by sea, and I on the… something, something, something."

"One what?" Tony questioned.

"How on earth should I know, Tony, I didn't write the damned thing!" the man snapped, waving his free hand wildly. "All I know is that the British are coming! Specifically, they have arrived."

"What are you doing here, Agent DeMedici?" Kate asked, her current stress level keeping her from being amused by the banter.

"Katie, I have told you before, call me Dominic, if you must be formal, though most pretty ladies call me Dom." He half-bowed, as if this were his first introduction to her. "And I do not rightly know. Pendergast sent me. But it had better be pretty damned important, because I have driven the past hour handcuffed to this bloody briefcase!" He held up his arm, showing all who cared to look that he was, in fact, handcuffed to the case. "And I don't even know what's in it," he complained.

"Don't call me Katie," Kate said automatically. She was silent for a long moment, thinking. "So, Pendergast sent you all the way here handcuffed to a random briefcase?"

"He said Gibbs needed it and that I had to get it here 'post-haste', and that it was not to be opened until Gibbs had it." Dom shrugged. "Usually I would not have… remembered the specifics." Translation, obeyed the order. "But it sounded as if it were an urgent matter. So now if you could kindly direct me in Gibbs' direction so that he might get this thing off me!" His voice got louder on the last few words, and Kate finally laughed slightly at the annoyed look on his face.

"Gibbs is with Abby," Tony alerted Dominic coolly, turning back to his computer.

"Ah, yes, and dear Abigail is in her lab. Of course." He started to walk away, but Tony's voice stopped him.

"She's down in autopsy." Kate snapped her head up; she hadn't known that. Her frightened "Why?" was overshadowed by Dom's response.

"Visiting Ducky, I assume," he said flippantly, starting to walk away again, but again Tony stopped him.

"Not exactly."

This paused Dom a bit longer. "Surely she hasn't switched career paths with the doctor?"

He could have kept this going for a while; Kate knew Dom would never guess. But Tony apparently got sick of the back-and-forth. "Abby's sick. A terrorist broke in, infected her with a biological weapon, and gave us 72 hours to get him a million dollars in exchange for the antidote or she dies." There was little emotion in his voice; Kate would have been mad at him if she hadn't been able to see the look in his eyes.

Dom stared open-mouthed at Tony for a long moment, glanced over at Kate, and at her nod of confirmation looked back at Tony. The emotions in his eyes were numerous, and it was a good minute before he snapped his mouth shut, shook his head slightly, and said, amazingly calmly, "Oh. That's not good." He shook his head again. "I… should go see Gibbs then, I suppose." He spun on his heel and headed for the elevator.

Tony was content to stay at his desk, but Kate's curiosity had been piqued. What would Pendergast send Gibbs that was so urgent? There was only one answer she could come up with to _that_ question, and from the way Dominic was looking at the briefcase, she thought he had probably reached the same conclusion. She stood and followed Dom to the elevator. "I'm going with you," she announced, leaving Dom no room to respond as she stepped into the elevator behind him and pressed the button for Ducky's floor.


End file.
